Committee ends Troy Flag Day Parade

TROY, N.Y. >> After a five decade run, the annual Troy Flag Day Parade will not continue.

In a news release issued Friday afternoon, the Troy Flag Day Committee said the recent decision to end the parade was made following a unanimous vote by the committee, citing decreased public interest and participation in the parade during the last six years.

“After careful consideration and review, the committee decided the enormous yearlong effort to fundraise, plan and organize thousands of marchers, groups, and musical acts – along with the deployment of several city departments – was no longer realistic given the shrinking number of spectators at the parade year after year,” the committee said in a statement.

In the announcement, the committee also cited the loss of World War II, Korean, and Vietnam veterans passing away over the past decade as one of the several contributing factors for the decline in attendance and participation in the annual parade.

The committee said that the spirit of the Troy Flag Day Parade will live on with the planned construction of a permanent flag pole and monument near the end of the parade route on Fourth Street in downtown Troy. The Committee, in cooperation with the City of Troy and The Franklin Plaza Group, said that they are in the early planning stages of this effort and will announce future updates on this project as it nears completion.

“It should be noted this decision was not taken lightly by the committee, but the culmination of the reasons cited above compelled these actions. The Troy Flag Day Parade was very popular in the 1970s and 80s, becoming one of the largest parades dedicated to the flag in this country. There was a steady decline since the 90s. The parade experienced renewed interest and spike in patriotism during the Gulf War and the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks which increased parade interest, but the revival was short lived,” committee members said in the news release.